Utilities Comm.: Cell tower on Clark property not an opiton

New Canaan has one less option for cell tower sites following an environmental investigation into town-owned property on Michigan Road.

Often referred to as the Clark Property, it was deeded to the town by the Clark family in 1956 to be used by the town “for town purposes including schools, parks and other public purposes.” For some time the property has been considered a possible site for a cell tower, especially since it is located in an area that suffers from poor cell reception. A recent environmental investigation, however, has concluded that the property is no longer an option worth considering.

“There are just too many environmental issues,” Geoffrey Pickard, a member of the town’s Utilities Commission, said during the commission’s Monday, July 15, meeting.

According to a June 25 letter to First Selectman Rob Mallozzi III, Kenneth Baldwin of the law firm Robinson & Cole states that two separate environmental reports of the property by Dean Gustafson of All-Points Technology and Dr. Michael Klemens conclude “that there is a vibrant wetland system and vernal pool community centered on the Clark Property.”

“While there may be non-wetland locations on the interior portion of the Clark property that appear suitable for development for a tower site,” Baldwin said in his letter, “our consultants have determined that the clearing of trees and significant ground disturbance resulting from construction of an access driveway and tower compound could not be accomplished without significant and critical impacts on these wetland and vernal pool systems.”

Based on the information in the deed and to environmental reports, Cellco, the company partnered with Verizon, “has concluded the Clark Property does not present as a viable and reasonable alternative for use as a location for a telecommunications facility,” according to Baldwin’s letter.

There are still cell tower options pending in northern New Canaan, including a tower proposal at 82 Puddin Hill, on the New York state line.

“They [Verizon] have never stopped being on that,” Pickard said. “The words they have told us is it’s an active site.”

Pickard told the Advertiser the commission will continue to seek out viable sites in town to host cell towers.